Amy Horney

Maj Sook Ha

CIS 270WX-01

Reflective Essay Draft

Help Received: works cited, other essays from this semester

America’s Need to be #1

As humans we will obviously always have the desire to be the best in everything that we do. We will always want the new cutting edge technology or we will always want a way to make accomplishing tasks in our daily lives that much easier. The United States has always had the reputation of needed to be the best at everything that they do. From the telephone, to the airplane, to the space race, and modern technology such as the super computer, the United States has proven its worth as arguably the world’s leading superpower in technological and communication developments.

The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. While an Italian immigrant, Antonio Meucci, began creating the plan for the telephone in 1849, Bell actually implemented the idea, which gives credit to the United States. Without the telephone, we would be unable to have communication with others at an instant. The telephone started other revolutions such as the wiring of America, which then attributed to the use of the Internet using those same wires. We have now made the transition from the original telephone to wireless telephones and now to smartphones. American citizens and, more specifically, students now have access to information instantly through their telephones. I have personally benefited from the invention of the telephone because I now have the option of using my smartphone to look up information as well as contact someone else if I need information. I can always contact someone through the phone, but there is also the need to contact someone personally or via mail from long distances.

The development of the airplane allows us to communicate with people over long distances in a significantly smaller amount of time that it would if the airplane was not developed. The Wright Brothers, another pair of American inventors, invented the airplane in 1903 again putting the United States as a leader of the innovation of information technology. Although in its earliest years the airplane could only travel small distances, throughout the years advancements have been made that allow the airplane to carry humans, objects, and information in record timing. The airplane enables diplomats from countries to communicate with each other face to face on matters that cannot be discussed via telephone or via the Internet. The airplane has been a major key in foreign relations for the United States. It has also played a vital role in our nation’s military. The United States finds the development of the airplane so important that it has dedicated an entire branch of the military toward the use of the airplane, otherwise known as the Air Force. It is the mission of the Air Force “to fly, fight and win in air, space, and cyberspace.” The Air Force wants to win and they do not want to settle for anything less. This, again, is an example of America’s need to be number one in information technology.

There was a time, however, when the United States was not a leader in information technology. The infamous Space Race was between the Soviet Union and the United States and their race to make major developments for the different discoveries and inventions involving space. According to NASA, “History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I… That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments,” (Garber). Shortly after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the United States realized that they could not remain second best for long. They then started their development of new and better satellites. Now we can use satellites for weather, communication, navigation, observation of the Earth, and research. Satellites have pioneered efficiency in communication and diminished the amount of errors signals can have.

Although satellites are a powerful part of our information technology in America, the supercomputer is the ultimate superpower in information science. Unfortunately, at the moment the United States has come up short in their quest to have the number one ranked supercomputer in the world, only to be ranked second to China. However, for a long period of time, the United States was the leader in the supercomputer. Because of their need to be number one, the United States has an ongoing mission to become the leader in the supercomputer. If the U.S. can accomplish this task, then they will then be back on top as the world leader in information technology.

By leading the race to improve the spread of technology, the United States has become renowned as a technological superpower. They have used their ambitious attitude to create ambitious inventions. I believe that the culture of the United States has allowed them to not only create inventions regarding information technology, but bring other countries into the race for competition as well. We can now see how other countries are becoming involved like Russia and China. Because of their constant need to remain on top, I predict that the United States will try to create the next big thing in information technology that will affect the world for years to come.

Works Cited

Garber, Steve. “Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age.” NASA. NASA History, 10

Oct. 2007. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Amy Horney

CIS 270-WX-01

Maj Sook Ha

Help Received: Works Cited

Telephone Communication for the United States

Although the use of wired communication via telephones seems inconvenient and out-of-date to most people today, wired communication through the telephone paved the way for instant communication. Using the telephone via wires has become one of the United States’ most reliable forms of communication to date. Often times we as Americans will drive down a road and not think twice about the miles of miles of telephone wires hanging above us because it has become the norm in our society. Communication via wired telephones has allowed for more reliable communication, more efficient communication, and more jobs for the people of the United States.

Telephone wires have had major improvements in terms of design since their start. The first telephone wires “were overhead lines, placed on telephone poles or attached to racks on rooftops. The telephone lines were single grounded wires made of iron or steel. Some wires were galvanized for corrosion resistance, but corrosion problems were never the less prevalent,” (Rhodes). These overhead wires then became too common and the telephone wires filled the sky. In some places, the wires were so frequent that it was difficult to even see the clouds above. This is how inventors knew they needed a new strategy; that is when wires made their way underground. According to Rhodes, “By the late 1890’s telephone and electric power cables were laid underground in conduits made of creosoted wood . Then vitrified clay conduits were developed. The multiple duct vitrified clay conduit became the main type of underground construction used. A separate square hole was provided for each cable, and when more ducts were required sections of conduit could be added,” (1). By using underground wires, there was less risk of damage by wind, rain, or even birds flying into wires to disrupt communication. This also made it so there was only one wire to connect a call rather than multiple telephone operators connecting callers, a method that is prone to human error. This made communication more reliable because there much fewer risk factors involved.

Once reliability came as a “given,” the idea of efficiency was brought to the table. How could communicating with someone via the telephone happen at an instant? During the 1960’s, telephone communication relied heavily on switchboard operators to connect calls. Operators of these switchboards had to receive a request from a caller of who they wanted to connect to, find that person, and switch the plug to that switch, connecting them to the person they intended to call. Not only was this method prone to errors but it was also a method that was very time consuming. Even if the operator had no errors and could find the receiver easily, it would still take longer than communicating instantly over wires like Americans do now. Telephone wires gave one path to communication and replaced human error with technological error; which at most times is much less.

Although telephone lines replaced some telephone operators, they added jobs to the work force. Telephone wires needed to be implemented somehow and humans were the only ones that could get the job done. Not only did the wires need to be put into place, but they also needed to be replaced. Actually, “Improvements were continually being made to telephone cable, the use of more and finer conductors in a given cable, lower electrostatic capacity requirements and a larger air to paper ratio of the insulation,” (Rhodes). Humans are the ones who discovered the improvements that needed to be made on the wires. Therefore, better and more frequently placed wires directly affects the job market.

Telephone wires changed the way Americans have communicated with each other and those from other countries forever. Telephone wires make communication almost a guarantee. Americans could not even fathom the thought of having to wait more than 30 seconds to reach someone for a phone call. We often times take advantage of telephone wires because they are much less prominent and more of a norm in society. Telephone wiring has allowed for more jobs and more efficient and effective communication for not only Americans, but the world as a whole.

Works Cited

Rhodes, Frederick. “The Evolution of Telephone Cable.” Applications:

Telecommunications. Copper Development Association Inc., n.d. Web. 9 April 2016

Amy Horney

CIS 270-WX-01

Maj Sook Ha

Help Received: Works Cited

Telephone Communication for the United States

Although the use of wired communication via telephones seems inconvenient and out-of-date to most people today, wired communication through the telephone paved the way for instant communication. Using the telephone via wires has become one of the United States’ most reliable forms of communication to date. Often times we as Americans will drive down a road and not think twice about the miles of miles of telephone wires hanging above us because it has become the norm in our society. Communication via wired telephones has allowed for more reliable communication, more efficient communication, and more jobs for the people of the United States.

Telephone wires have had major improvements in terms of design since their start. The first telephone wires “were overhead lines, placed on telephone poles or attached to racks on rooftops. The telephone lines were single grounded wires made of iron or steel. Some wires were galvanized for corrosion resistance, but corrosion problems were never the less prevalent,” (Rhodes). These overhead wires then became too common and the telephone wires filled the sky. In some places, the wires were so frequent that it was difficult to even see the clouds above. This is how inventors knew they needed a new strategy; that is when wires made their way underground. According to Rhodes, “By the late 1890’s telephone and electric power cables were laid underground in conduits made of creosoted wood . Then vitrified clay conduits were developed. The multiple duct vitrified clay conduit became the main type of underground construction used. A separate square hole was provided for each cable, and when more ducts were required sections of conduit could be added,” (1). By using underground wires, there was less risk of damage by wind, rain, or even birds flying into wires to disrupt communication. This also made it so there was only one wire to connect a call rather than multiple telephone operators connecting callers, a method that is prone to human error. This made communication more reliable because there much fewer risk factors involved.

Once reliability came as a “given,” the idea of efficiency was brought to the table. How could communicating with someone via the telephone happen at an instant? During the 1960’s, telephone communication relied heavily on switchboard operators to connect calls. Operators of these switchboards had to receive a request from a caller of who they wanted to connect to, find that person, and switch the plug to that switch, connecting them to the person they intended to call. Not only was this method prone to errors but it was also a method that was very time consuming. Even if the operator had no errors and could find the receiver easily, it would still take longer than communicating instantly over wires like Americans do now. Telephone wires gave one path to communication and replaced human error with technological error; which at most times is much less.

Works Cited

Rhodes, Frederick. “The Evolution of Telephone Cable.” Applications:

Telecommunications. Copper Development Association Inc., n.d. Web. 9 April 2016

Amy Horney

CIS 270-WX-01

Maj Sook Ha

Help Received: Works Cited

Taking Communication to the Sky

Americans were the first to pioneer the first successful flight in a machine-powered airplane. The Wright Brothers took flight in 1903 and there has been no stopping the improvement of the airplane since then. Of course, there have been many changes made to the airplane itself, specifically by the American people but it is not just the improvements made on the airplane that have changed. The way people use airplanes has also changed. We no longer use airplanes solely for transportation. Airplanes are now used for communication. Airplanes are able to transport people, messages, products, and support the military at faster and more reliable rates than ever before.

Not very long after the Wright Brothers took flight, airplanes started being incorporated into the mail system. In 1918, “The U.S. Postal Service [inaugurated] airmail service from Polo Grounds in Washington, D.C., on May 15. Two years later…the first transcontinental airmail service arrives in New York from San Francisco in 33 hours and 20 minutes, nearly three days faster than mail delivery by train,” (National Academy of Engineering). The airplane took the U.S. Postal Service to a whole other level in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. People could now communicate with others across the country at a considerably faster rate. They were able to satisfy the needs of customers who needed to communicate with others quickly, much quicker than they would have if they had sent their letters by train like before the airplane.

Not only did airplanes allow communication via mail, they obviously also allowed the transportation of people. Before the airplane, people used trains, horses, and other modes of transportation to travel long distances. The problem with these modes of transportation is that they can only go so far, meaning they can only go as far as the land takes them. The American people needed a way to travel and across the oceans to communicate face-to-face with others. In 1927, “On May 21, Charles Lindbergh completes the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic traveling 3,600 miles from New York to Paris in a Ryan monoplane named the Spirit of St. Louis,” (National Academy of Engineering). Obviously, there was the steamship and other aquatic transportation that allowed people to do this but they were not nearly as fast as the airplane. Solo flights eventually turned into commercial, multi-person flights and allowed more people to travel. Traveling via boat across the ocean from the United States to Europe would take days, maybe weeks. The airplane allowed them to travel from the U.S. to Europe in the matter of a day. This was essential for the communication between American diplomats and European diplomats when conversations and/or conferences could not be held over the telephone.

Airplanes also played a significant role in the United States military. In 1912, Anton Fokker established an airplane factory in Germany, which attributed to the fact that at that time “90 percent of his planes are sold to the German military,” (Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company). This affected the United States because this came just in time for the first World War and gave the Germans a significant advantage. Soon after, the American military started adopting airplanes into their attack strategies, giving the United States an aviation aspect in their military. Eventually, the communication from aircraft was able to occur directly from the aircraft while it was in the air. For example, on July 27, 1912, “Lt. John Rodgers and Ensign Charles Maddox send the first wireless message from an aircraft to a ship. Flying a Wright Model B, they contact the torpedo boat USS Stringham,” (Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company). This changed the way war is fought by the U.S. military forever. Those that were in the sky were now able to communicate what they saw with those on the ground.

More recently, airplanes have been upgraded for more high-tech uses such as delivering packages in minimal amounts of time and private jets chauffeuring people to different destinations at staggering speeds. The most important attribute that the airplane has given to the American people specifically in terms of communication has been efficiency. The airplane has allowed Americans to communicate with each other via mail or face-to-face much faster than it has in the past. From the horses to trains and now to airplanes, the progression of communication speed only has room for improvement. Planes are now the primary mode of communication for physical objects but soon they will be replaced with the new, cutting-edge technology such as drones or maybe eventually teleportation. They have paved the way for newer and better forms of communication by opening up the field to beyond the ground.

Works Cited

Keitz, Maribeth. “Airplane Timeline – Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century.” Airplane Timeline – Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century. National Academy of Engineering, 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

“Wright Brother Aeroplane Company/Site Entrance and Guide.” Wright Brothers

Aeroplane Company Entrance and Guide. N.p. 2011. Web. 13 Mar 2016.